Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system wireless interfaces, and more particularly to information handling system proximity-based wireless interface connectivity.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems communicate wirelessly with a variety of resources, such as wireless network access points to communicate with local area networks and wireless peripherals to input and output information. Many wireless interfaces communicate information in the place of wired interfaces by supporting wired interface protocols, such as USB 3, GbE, PCIe, DisplayPort and HDMI, as well as traditional IP network traffic. By supporting wired interface protocols, wireless interfaces enable information handling system interactions with peripheral devices that use wired interfaces but without using cables. In essence, a working space for an end user becomes a wireless ecosystem that allows an end user to wirelessly interface a mobile information handling system with peripheral devices, and with other information handling systems, thus providing greater convenience for the end user relative to conventional wired docking stations or via wired cabling. Rather than physically connecting a portable information handling system with a docking station having physical connections with peripherals, or wired connections to peripherals themselves, wireless transceivers of the information handling system and the peripherals directly interface to wirelessly exchange peripheral information. An end user can create a cable-free wireless ecosystem of mobile computing devices and peripherals, such as monitors, high definition television, projectors, storage, printers, speakers, tablet information handling systems, laptop information handling systems, smartphones, etc . . .
Tri-Band Wi-Fi is an industry attempt to standardize wireless peripheral communication under I.E.E.E. 802.11ad to support gigabit wireless communication rates. Tri-Band Wi-Fi uses three wireless bands to communicate information: 2.4 Ghz. 5.0 Ghz and 60 Ghz. The 2.4 Ghz and 5.0 Ghz bands are typically used to support wireless local area network (WLAN) connections, such as for Internet access. The 60 Ghz band, also known as millimeter wave, is typically used to transport multi-gigabit wired protocols and IP connections with high bandwidth, but limited range, such as approximately 10 meters. For example, millimeter wave interfaces have adequate bandwidth to communicate display information wirelessly. While interfaced with Tri-Band Wi-Fi, an end user might also use other wireless technologies to interface with peripheral devices, such as Bluetooth to interface with a keyboard or mouse.
One difficulty with Tri-Band Wi-Fi and similar wireless interfaces is that an end user in a wireless ecosystem can face a baffling number of wireless connection choices. Traditionally. Wi-Fi has been used to connect an information handling system with the internet or a local network via a single connection to an access point. Typically, this type of Wi-Fi connection and connections through additional types of wireless interfaces are manually set up by an end user through a discovery and pairing process. Emerging capabilities such as Wi-Fi Direct now enable multiple concurrent wireless connections to mobile devices. Rather than having a single connection to an access point, mobile devices may now have several simultaneous wireless connections, such as to a printer, a projector, and other mobile devices, in addition to the connection to the internet or local area network. The wireless transceiver(s) of an information handling system displays a list of wireless devices within range, such as through an operating system window, and the end user selects the desired device(s) from the list to initiate or authenticate a connection. In practice, an end user within this wireless ecosystem desires to establish connectivity primarily to devices which are nearby, in addition to the access point connection. As wireless devices continue to proliferate, the list of available devices within Wi-Fi range of an information handling system can become un-navigable and unmanageable for the end user.